Reports indicate widespread alfalfa winterkill due to several thaws that reduced snow cover and created ice in fields. Many stands were either patched or put into an annual forage. Here are some tips on managing alternative forage crops. First cut is usually (but not always) 60 days after planting Table 1. Harvest guidelines for alternative forage crops Crop Planting to…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team April 16, 2019 1067 Comments Off on Exeter Agribusiness Breakfast Meeting Minutes – April 16, 2019Thank you to Mike Verhoef who chaired the first breakfast meeting and to Steve Johns who sponsored breakfast. The next meeting will be on April 30 starting at 7:00 am for breakfast (meeting starts at 7:30). Dave Townsend will be the chairman. The meetings will finish no later than 9:00 am. There was an excellent turn out with many good…
OMAFRA Field Crop Team April 17, 2015 1669 Comments Off on Winchester AgBreakfast Minutes – April 14, 2015Conditions: Moderate temperatures at the end of winter, combined with limited precipitation minimized spring water runoff and soil erosion. Soil is drying slowly, allowing for only limited field activity to date. Alfalfa: Winter survival generally looks excellent. Alfalfa has 1 to 2 inches of new growth at this point and is showing no sign of heaving damage. Tap roots just…
Frost seeding or the broadcasting of forage seed on frozen ground in late-winter or early-spring can be an effective way of improving the forage quality and yield of thinning pastures. It allows for the establishment of forages at reduced cost in an undisturbed sod and also shortens the non-grazing period in the spring. For frost seeding to be successful, there…
